Four Artists Who Fought for Ownership of Their Music
We all value the things that we own. So how would you feel if someone were to take away the rights that you have to your possessions? Many artists in the music industry experience a scenario similar to this.
When an artist signs to a record label (in this instance a major record label), the copyright of all master tracks are given to the record label which means that the artist has no ownership or control over their own music.
Taylor Swift is an artist who was left in this predicament due to her former label Big Machine Label Group being sold for $300 million to Scooter Braun’s, Ithaca Holdings, essentially giving him all control over Taylor Swift’s first 6 albums.
Swift eventually decided to leave her past behind and join new label Universal Music Group where she now has complete ownership over any future music that she releases.
Since this happened, Swift has re-recorded and now released one of her earliest albums ‘Fearless’ in order to regain control over her music after previously being sold without her consent.
A similar situation played out for artist JoJo who was exhilarated at age 12 to sign with Blackground Records and to be offered a seven-album deal with them. After being assured by her lawyer and the label that it was a very normal deal to be offered and that it was a great opportunity for her. She accepted the offer.
However, after having success on her few album releases, Blackground Records held her new music hostage, they forbid her from making new music without their consent and control, and kept her in her contract with no way out. This was a seven year battle that she endured until she was finally able to leave the label. She later signed with Atlantic Records before she founded her own label Clover Records where she now has complete control and ownership of her music.
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The former member of The Beatles, Paul McCartney is yet another artist who had no ownership over the songs that he had written and spent over 50 years trying to regain all that he had lost.
Northern Songs was the company who originally owned all of The Beatles’ music, however, when the company went on sale in 1969, the McCartney-Lennon due attempted to buy the company but sadly missed out as the company was bought by ATV Music who along with ownership of the company, also gained the possession of the bands music.
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Years later Northern Songs went back on sale, so McCartney tried to claim the company but was once again outbid at $47.5 million, only this time by his friend Michael Jackson who imminently ruptured the friendship between the two musicians. McCartney considered Jackson’s actions to be a betrayal.
However, in 2016 McCartney was again given the opportunity to buy the company which he was finally able to do but due to Great Britain not having the same copyright laws as the US, it still made hard for McCartney to have complete control of his music. In the end, McCartney secured his right to his music through a private settlement awarding him with all control over the McCartney-Lennon songs.
Prince is again another artist who went through this experience. “Record contracts are just like - I’m gonna say the word - slavery. I would tell any young artist… don’t sign”. Prince told Rolling Stone back in 2015.
Prince had a contract with Warner Bros. (now known as Warner Records) who didn’t allow him any ownership rights over his records. The iconic artist would appear onstage with ‘slave’ written on his cheek in order to draw attention to the problem he was facing. As well as this, he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol to again protest the matter and gain ownership of his work.
Eventually he did receive ownership rights to his music after his release with the label in 1996. He then years later also got his earliest records back from the in exchange for two new albums with the label.